1001 Albums Summary

“Vienna” is fantastic. Everything else? Meh. I like a lot of the melodies and musical ideas, but Billy’s voice and personality just rub me the wrong way. “Just the Way You Are” is one of the most offensively cheesy songs I’ve ever heard. 2.5/5

Truly excellent in every way. Nothing to complain about from a songwriting, performance, or production level. It’s all very good and I like it a lot. I just don’t have much of an emotional reaction to it, which is why I can’t go all the way with my score. 4/5

Damn, really cool stuff. This was a total blind spot and did not disappoint. What a wonderful, quirky surprise. I feel like this is everything people pretend Neutral Milk Hotel is. 4/5

I like it, and I like it more than I ever have, but I still feel like I’m supposed to like it more than I should. Give me at least 3 S&G records before this one. 4/5

I haven't had my total "a-ha!" moment with this one yet, as I did with Doolittle, but still very good. 4/5

Tribe is easily one of my favorite hip-hop acts; on this album in particular, I've always been partial to "Push It Along", "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo", "Can I Kick It?", and "Ham 'n' Eggs", though there aren't any individual songs I dislike. I think it pales in comparison to their next two records, especially The Low End Theory, but it's right on the verge of 4 stars for me. 3.5/5

Damn fucking good. They'll never be "my" hard rock band, but I think I'll continue to like them more and more. 4/5

Although I don’t love every song, I just love *them* so much. Beautiful voices, beautiful songs, beautiful music. 4/5

It’s all good and interesting to varying degrees, just not something I’m going to return to a whole lot. 3.5/5

It’s very well made and I dig the title track, but it’s just not my thing. 2.5/5

Absolutely fucking gorgeous. 4.5/5

It's not my thing, but there are elements I appreciate on it. I actually very much dig the opening track. 2/5

To quote my friend Joe, “Good, but I don’t care.” 3.5/5

There are elements of this music that I like, but every song on this record is just too long and too repetitive for my tastes. 2/5

Some great music, but I don't love any of the individual songs and Ferry isn't making me swoon like he seems to do for so many others. 3/5

Started off to be way better than - and not at all - what I was expecting. Eventually evened out and fell off a bit, but still pretty good. 3.5/5

Document will forever reign supreme for me, but Automatic is always in contention for my second favorite R.E.M. album. A high 4 stars, as it has been for me for quite some time. 4/5

Pretty cool stuff. Not inherently enough of my thing to give it the extra half star bump here, but it's solid nonetheless. 3.5/5

Fuck yes. 4.5/5

I personally don’t have the nostalgia factor that so many do for this record (my mom strangely can’t stand most girl groups, so this was not a household staple growing up). Additionally, I think the cuts that have survived on holiday radio stations over here for the past 50 years are clearly the highlights, and the others don’t do a whole lot for me. But I totally respect its place in the pantheon of music history and enjoy it well enough when it’s on. Mostly, it just means so much to feel like I have a personalized gift from ultimate good guy Phil Spector, a man who arguably embodied the Christmas spirit more than anyone in history. 3.5/5

Starts off as strong as any R.E.M. album. Tapers off a bit eventually, but still damn good. 4/5

High 3.5. Starts off incredible. Tails a bit eventually; lyrics pretty consistently excellent, but not as much musical variety as I’d like and Franti isn’t *always* the most convincing. Still, he’s uniformly great, and this was an awesome listen. 3.5/5

Am I likely to listen to the whole thing in one sitting? Not very often, that’s for sure. But I’ll be damned if I don’t love this music, and if I don’t appreciate it acting as quite an important historical document. 3.5/5

I'm fully aware that not loving/worshipping Prince is one of my most fatal flaws as a human. Many of the struggles I've historically had with his music - production elements, stylistic preferences, singing - come into play on this record as well. However, there's a decent amount of stuff I really do like here as well, and I think it can continue to grow on me. "The Cross" is my favorite of his by leaps and bounds, but I also quite dig the title track, "Starfish and Coffee", "Hot Thing", "Forever in My Life", and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man". There are numerous cool, experimental moments that I don't get out of other lauded releases of his. I'll keep trying to right this wrong, y'all, but believe me when I say this is progress. 3/5

Oh my god she never shuts up. 2/5

"Needles in the Camel's Eye" is seriously such a perfect song, and although I liked the rest of the album fine enough on previous listens, the weirdness of it all began to really jive with me on this relisten. 4/5

My quest to fall in love with The Cure remains ongoing. Perhaps it’s just a stylistic thing, but I’ve yet to feel this deep emotional connection to Robert Smith’s voice or guitar playing. His songwriting is a different story; “Last Dance” and “Untitled” are phenomenal pieces of writing in particular, though his lyrics are strong across the board. And there are still certainly a handful of highlights in my book; “Lullaby” is far and away my favorite track here, and kicks off an excellent three-song run with “Fascination Street” and “Prayers for Rain”. I also see why “Pictures of You” is celebrated - the relationship between its lyrics and melody is pretty fantastic - but I can never get all the way there with it due to Smith’s weak-sounding single-string guitar approach. It honestly bugs me quite a bit, as it does on “Plainsong”, which is further tanked for me by the bothersome echo and lackluster synth sounds. Which I’m sure is an infuriating sentence to read, assuming you’re part of the vast majority that thinks this album is a sonic triumph, but after multiple listens, I simply don’t hear it that way. “Closedown”, “The Same Deep Water as You”, and “Last Dance”, despite their strong compositional core, don’t amount to songs I care to listen to very much. The highlights are enough to get it to 3.5 in my book, and I’m still hoping I’ll have an a-ha moment with it eventually, but I’m not there yet. 3.5/5

It’s fine. Don’t ever need to hear it again. 3/5

Not a fan of Patton, but some good musical ideas and performances. 2.5/5

I've always had a lot of respect for Jay, and the best stuff on here is truly so damn good. Excellent production across the board, and his flow is iconic. My level of personal enjoyment is a mid-high 3.5 stars, but undoubtedly a 5-star album in terms of craft and significance. 3.5/5

Biggie's flow and timbre are truly otherworldly. I'm blown away every time I hear "Gimme the Loot". I respect some people's reservations about this one, and it's certainly not my place to determine what is or isn't misogynistic, but in my opinion I don't hear some of the more "questionable" lyrics on as glorifications of said behavior. And regardless of whatever passages haven't aged well, so many other themes of this record still resonate deeply today. I can do without some of the skits and it runs a bit long for me, but I'm pretty good with it overall. 3.5/5

What a voice. First song is unbelievable. Love how this sounds. One of my favorite new discoveries, excited to go back to this. 4/5

Some of my favorite songs I’ve heard from this style of music so far. 3.5/5

I will never return to this intentionally, but I’ll be damned if it’s not a solid listen and very well done. 3.5/5

The guy is a fucking prick, but he makes great music. 4/5

Pretty good stuff. Opening track my favorite. 3.5/5

The title track is a true masterpiece. Everything else is great, too. 4/5

Pixies have historically been a songs band for me, but tonight, this one really clicked with me as a whole for the first time. Just fucking fantastic, and definitely has room to grow as I continue to spend more time with it. 4.5/5

Welp, it appears I’ve discovered yet another album that I’ve slept on for too long! Room to grow for this one. 4.5/5

Very good, highly listenable. Unsure why it’s considered essential by these standards, and don’t see much of a reason to go back to it, but nothing wrong with it. 3.5/5

I love and respect Ella and Billie. But Sarah is *my* jazz vocalist. She is perfect and divine. 4.5/5

“It’s Tricky” is undeniable. Of this era and genre, this is the best. Is it my favorite? No. But I can dig it. 3.5/5

Another one I should like more than I do. Otis is awesome, but I don’t think many, if any, of these songs are the best versions of them. Definitely enough to give it the 4 star 1001 bump, but not enough to actually get me to 4. 3.5/5

I’m sure most people think Graceland is the high watermark of his solo career, but give me this one. 4/5

Nothing about this particularly appeals to me. 2/5

Remarkably cool and a fantastic new discovery! 4/5

My "lightest" 5 stars of their first four albums, but 5 stars nonetheless. 5/5

About as high as one of my 3.5’s can be. 3.5/5

I consistently could not tell if I liked this or not. Seems like there was truly an equal amount of qualities that I did and didn’t like. So I’ll go right down the middle. 2.5/5

I guess I can understand why most people prefer their follow-up, but this most recent relisten has only confirmed for me that I definitely like this one more. Perry sounds great and the band is killer, but more notably, it has a particular weirdness to it that really vibes with me. Kind of like Minutemen or Camper Van Beethoven, they float between a few different musical worlds, and even if a couple of songs aren't the absolute strongest, it's never uninteresting. "Jane Says", "Mountain Song, "Ocean Size", "Summertime Rolls", and "Pigs in Zen" are the biggest standouts in my book. High 4 stars that I can easily see growing to 4.5 one day. 4/5

Elements that I like keep popping through, but never consistently enough to constitute true enjoyment. 2/5

Unbelievably fun and energetic. Knew I'd like it, didn't expect to like it as much as I do. 4/5

This shit gives me anxiety. 1/5

I can tell I’m supposed to *love* this, I’m just not there yet. Still pretty damn good. I’ll come back to this. 3.5/5

I have a lot of reverence both for Willie Nelson and the compositions on this record. And I do like this album, but it's not something I'm likely to listen to on a regular basis. There are multiple albums of his I know that I prefer, and multiple versions of most of these songs that I prefer. 3.5/5

It’s very good, just not my preferred Traffic album. 3.5/5

Some cool stuff - her voice is amazing overall and I’ll definitely go back to “Who Is It” - but in general, I’m just not super into it. Very cool concept and arrangements, though. 2.5/5

Dan Auerbach's claim that he "didn't know who the White Stripes were" when he and Patrick started the Black Keys is so full of shit. There's no chance in hell they weren't aware of another midwestern blues-infused two-piece that was already beginning to hit the mainstream. Dan, in general, is not a very reliable or trustworthy person, but that's another story for another day. That all said, starting around their third album, the Keys did carve out a slightly different niche for themselves, honing in a bit more on subtle psychedelic and R&B influences in contrast to some of the Stripes' punkier and more Americana flourishes. In my opinion, they hit their peak on the album before this one, Attack & Release, but Brothers is still pretty great. There are more than a few solid bluesier tunes - I'm especially partial to the swampy "She's Long Gone" and "Ten Cent Pistol" - that sit nicely alongside the more soulful "Everlasting Light" and "The Only One". "Sinister Kid" has a surprisingly good groove (surprising because Patrick Carney is truly not that great of a drummer half the time), "Next Girl" and "Tighten Up" are dependable singles, and even the atmospheric instrumental "Black Mud" is pretty damn cool. I think "Howlin' for You" works totally fine in context with the rest of the album, but it does telegraph the direction they're about to go in - a direction that has given them a mostly deserved reputation. Additionally, at least 3-4 tracks could have easily been left off. But I'll stand by my defense of this one (as well as Attack & Release and Rubber Factory), and I'll forever have good memories of the show I saw on this tour. 4/5

Tired of pretending like I don't love this album. 5/5

Another extremely consistent set of songs from Elvis. 4/5

I really don't understand what there is to like about this. This guy's voice is insufferable. The music sounds terrible. The only reason it's not a half star or zero stars is because it occasionally vaguely resembles music. 1/5

I know that it's probably just me on this island, but I prefer everything about this record to The Number of the Beast. Di'Anno is a much more palatable vocalist; the guitar histrionics are slightly more subdued; the production is a bit grungier. With the bombast dialed back across the board, it gives the band's raw energy a lot more room to shine. Their riffs, tightness, and overall attitude are so damn strong. 3.5/5

Classic case of liking a lot of it, but only being able to get so high because of my feelings on the album experience with this genre. 3.5/5

This is my least favorite of the Ditch Trilogy, perhaps somewhat controversially. I still think it's very good - a high 4 stars, with the second half of the album being a bit stronger than the first in my opinion - but I definitely prefer On the Beach and the underrated Time Fades Away. 4/5

I don’t love Albarn’s voice, but goddamn, I really like just about everything else. Really cool stuff. Excited to check out more. 4/5

Pure beauty. 5/5

There’s some good stuff on here - the title track is a masterpiece - but overall, it’s too long and a bit one note. 3/5

My second-to-least favorite Radiohead album, but still a decently high 3.5 stars off the strength of "Pyramid Song", "I Might Be Wrong", "Knives Out", and "Morning Bell/Amnesiac", among a few others. 3.5/5

Janis sounds amazing, and it’s a gigantic step up from the debut. 4/5

Nice. Borders on too nice. But overall good playing and writing. 3.5/5

Holy shit, what a discovery! Great production! Excellent samples, really cool energy. I didn’t know what to expect out of Latifah’s music, but this is one of my favorite surprises so far! 4/5

He's a great writer. And it all SOUNDS great. But even before I knew how much of a tool he was, there was always somewhat of a disconnect. He never resonated with me. I recognized the quality, but it didn't speak to me. It still doesn't. I do my best to separate the art from the artist, but I can't pretend I'm not turned off by Ryan right now. And it definitely isn't helping me connect with this any more at the moment. A very generous... 3.5/5

Honestly? Some stuff I really like. But a lot of other stuff that hasn’t aged so well. 3/5

Cool stuff. Again, I question how essential this is, but cool stuff. 3.5/5

Liked this way more than I expected to. Was never a fan of theirs, did not like these singles when they came out, but damn, I’m happy I went back to it. What a killer 5-song opening stretch. 4/5

Not my favorite Creedence, but still very good. 3.5/5

I like Snoop fine enough as a sideman or secondary artist, but I personally don't think his delivery lends the best to a full album experience, especially since few of the guests really elevate the material. I also think that, with the exception of three or four songs, Dre's production here is a bit stagnant compared to The Chronic. My biggest gripe with this album, however, is that the humor and sexism have really not aged well. I know some people have had this complaint about other old-school hip-hop albums we've gotten, but I find this to be much more egregious than something like N.W.A, personally. 2.5/5

Incredible voice and some great songs. A bit by the numbers for me musically sometimes, but room to rise in my estimations. 3.5/5

Almost convinced me with the first song, but the more it continued, the more it wasn’t something I enjoyed at all. 1/5

A bit one-note, but still very cool. 3.5/5

Just not sure if I’m fully ready for this. Some great melodies in there. 3/5

The second half of this record is absolutely loaded, but the opening title track is just otherworldly good. The dynamics are incredible, it’s so subtly melodic amidst the tension and primal nature of it, and those background vocals are perfectly gnarly. I also do think “Missed” makes for an interesting second track, with its odd time signature goodness and solid guitar work. The experimentalism of “Man-Sized Sextet” is just effortlessly cool, as is the cover of “Highway 61 Revisited”, one of my favorite Dylan covers out there. PJ shines on guitar throughout the whole record, especially on the punky blast of “50ft Queenie” and the slide guitar textures of “Dry”. “Snake” is a sub-2 minute burst of intensity that perfectly sets up the ruthless closer “Ecstasy”. Although these most recent re-listens of Dry helped raise it in my estimations, I do still slightly prefer this killer sophomore effort. Riding along at a very strong 4 stars. 4/5

Always better than I remember it being. 4.5/5

My favorite album of all-time. Not a wasted second or note. The grin across my face when this popped up as my album of the day says it all. True perfection, one that will always inspire me and provide me endless happiness. 5+/5

"Must hear before you die?" Why?? So I can know what the 362nd best album of 1979 sounds like? Stupid and erroneous. Excited to never listen to this again. EDIT: Wow, this is an embarrassing mea culpa to have to give, especially since this review has received quite a number of likes. But I've relistened, and I must say, it's been a hot minute since an album rose this much in estimation for me on one listen. This time around, I was much more drawn into it. It's still not my favorite-sounding album by any means, and there are moments where Sylvian's vocals irk me just the slightest, but in almost every song, I found myself really digging every member's individual performances. Really interesting instrumental choices and arrangements. I'm all the way up to a low 3 stars now, but it could genuinely continue to grow on me yet. I guess that's the beauty of it all, right? 3/5

I’ll give it this: even though I still don’t think it sounds very good at all, I do think it sounds *slightly* better than most of the other hard rock/hair metal from this era that I don’t care for. The drums are the only instrument consistently drowning in reverb, which I appreciate. I just don’t have anything positive to say after that, though. This music isn’t fun or badass to me, and Axl Rose is absolutely in the running for my least favorite front-person of all time. Every now and then, an intro to one of these songs will almost resemble a 70’s Aerosmith or AC/DC song that I can kind of dig, and then…he sings, and it’s ruined. I can’t stand the sound, nor the attitude, of his voice, and that’s not taking his dreadful lyrics into account. Every pinch harmonic and pick slide makes me roll my eyes. If I could never hear “Welcome to the Jungle” and *especially* “Paradise City” ever again, I’d be a happy man. 2/5

What a voice, what a band, what a performer. 4/5

It's all fine, but I never care to listen to it ever again. 3/5

Really interesting, beautiful stuff. I need to be in the right mood for it, but when I am, it’s great. 3.5/5

I don't love it as much as his other two records, but I still like it well enough. Although I’m not as enamored with the lush production as I am the sparseness of Five Leaves Left and especially Pink Moon, his songwriting is still excellent and the album as a whole flows extremely well. 3.5/5

I’m a sucker for these records. Some all-timers on this one. 4/5

The back half runs a touch long, but I love the jazzy samples and diversity of each rapper’s flow. 3.5/5

Great vibe and sound, but I just don’t think I’m a smart enough listener to be able to love something like this for a whole album. 3.5/5

Very solid Willie record. Love the concept and layout. 4/5

Rock and roll perfection. 5/5

The highs are so unbelievably high. And the craft is *ridiculous*. He’s so fucking talented. It’s just so long and inconsistent, featuring too many questionable tracks. 3.5/5

I liked this album and I will return to it one day. That said, I think it’s more accurate to say that “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is one of the 1,001 Songs to Hear Before You Die, rather than this album being a necessity. 3.5/5

So damn cool. Great songs, great atmosphere. Dangerously close to the 5 star bump. 4.5/5

Metallica isn’t really my cup of tea, but I like them more than all of their contemporaries. There are songs and performances here that I dig well enough. The length is a hindrance, though, and I don’t really need pitch-corrected Hetfield in my life. Still better than Mustaine, though. 2.5/5

I like it. Perhaps one day I’ll love it. 4/5

Basically what I expect from them. Bon era still my favorite. 3.5/5

The band is so loud, yet they make no real noise. The singer is doing so much, yet saying so little. There are so many notes, yet no actual melodies. So much effort for such little payoff. Complete anonymity. Example #36 of “why *must* I hear this before I die?” 2/5

From their debut album, they’ve added both an additional member (Neil Young) and an additional star. 5/5

As high a 4 stars as 4 stars can be. My only real “issue” with this album is that I think it slightly pales in comparison to Live Rust, which is probably my favorite Neil release of all-time and includes the ultimate versions of “Powderfinger” and “Sedan Delivery”, among others. But otherwise, it’s hard to complain about most anything here. Neil is at the top of his game compositionally. I probably rank 6-7 Neil studio albums before this one, but that’s just a testament to the strength of his best output. Albums like this more than make up for shit like This Note’s for You. 4/5

Got “better” as it went on. “Kerosene” the obvious highlight. Will never listen to this again. This rating is generous. 2/5

Pretty dependable rock and roll. Rod’s songs definitely better than Ronnie’s. Not up to the level of the other greats from this time period, but still very good. 3.5/5

I don’t hate or even dislike any of it, but I find it to be quite boring. His flow is fine, but his timbre is unspectacular. And it’s soooo long. I can’t imagine sitting through this whole thing again. 2.5/5

This rules so completely. High 4 stars with room to grow. 4/5

Call me uncultured swine, but I really can’t get much into this at all. 1.5/5

WHO THE HELL IS PICKING THESE ALBUMS?! WHO DECIDED I NEEDED TO HEAR THIS?! 1/5

Dangerously close to 4.5 stars. Perhaps could get there one day. The length did wear on me a bit, but I liked everything and loved most everything. Very cool find. 4/5

I like it, I just can’t get all the way there with it. 3/5

Frank’s not fully formed yet, but still awesome. Lots of good stuff here. 4/5

Dug this more the second time through. Not sure how high its ceiling is, but it could still potentially grow on me further. 3.5/5

A lot more here that I like than I’d initially anticipate. Multiple songs I should go back to. 3.5/5

When I’m in the mood for this, it totally hits the spot. 4/5

I may be the only person on the planet who prefers S/T and Tusk, but my appreciation for and enjoyment of this album has grown slightly. I don’t think it will ever be an all-time favorite, but I like it more now than I ever have. 4/5

Tough to argue with. It only means so much to me, but it’s excellent. 4/5

“Clint Eastwood” is forever a highlight for me, and I appreciate the overall diversity and experimentation of it. I do find it overstays its welcome a bit, and a few songs drift into “vibe”-based anonymity, but it’s more than an easy enough listen. 3.5/5

What’s not to like here? This is just about everything I could want out of this genre in this decade. 4/5

When he sang "You are unbearable" on the first song, I felt that. 1/5

Sabbath isn't my favorite band, but the first four albums are hard to deny. 4/5

A true masterpiece. Top-notch composition and performances. 5/5

Solid, dependable alternative rock. 3.5/5

Another album that I know I’m supposed to like much more than I do, but I still do like regardless. 3.5/5

I think the first half is just about a perfect 5-star album, but personally, the second half kinda loses me. None of the songs are bad, per se, but in my opinion, it just doesn’t maintain the strength of the first 7-8 songs. Still, a hell of an accomplishment for its time, and for a genre of music I’m not absolutely in love with, Frank sure does make me love it for at least half the album. 4/5

One of my favorite new discoveries. What a hell of a voice! 4.5/5

The “That’s All Right” cover is pretty bad, but everything else is really damn good. 4/5

The best stuff is amazing, but there is a fair amount of stuff I’m not crazy about. Still gets the 4 star bump, of course. 3.5/5

Two albums down for Chic and they are still not for me. 2/5

I do actually like a decent amount of this - she has a great voice and has some really great lyrics - but it’s just not totally my thing from a musical perspective. Could stand a revisit of this someday. 3/5

Yeah…this rules. Not my favorite music ever, but holy shit, it’s so damn good. 4/5

Really, really close to 4 stars. Could get there one day. 3.5/5

Lang’s voice is fantastic. Solid arrangements all the way around. Very easy to listen to. 3.5/5

I like this so much more than I ever expected I would. This could grow to 4 stars one day. 3.5/5

Side 1 is very good, and side 2 is *great*. I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t my favorite album of theirs. 4/5

Lots and lots of cool stuff here. Glad this is my first album of his. Room to grow. 4/5

Some decent instrumentals and musical ideas. But man, this guy has some of my least favorite vocal inflections of all-time. 2/5

I actually really like “Invaders”, but it’s downhill for me after that. I like some of the punky influences, but Dickinson is just too over the top for me. 2.5/5

Some really killer songwriting here. It's not my favorite album of all-time by any means, but I can definitely return to this one. 3.5/5

Greg Lake has the perfect voice for this genre, and the production/arrangements/instrument choices on here are all I want from a prog record. 4/5

I much prefer Björk in this environment. It’d be the full four stars if the male singer wasn’t there. 3.5/5

Perfect performance. No notes. 5/5

Solid funk with just the right amount of dirt on it. I love a good extended jam, but agree that certain parts of “City, Country, City” and the title track slightly overstay their welcome. Still, I dig this one well enough and it could potentially keep growing on me over time. 3.5/5

I just don't get this genre at all. I don't like the tones of the instruments, the overall sound, the singing...it's just not for me, I guess. 2/5

I need to be in the right mood for it, but when I am, it kicks major ass. 4/5

Very solid writing and arrangements. Good stuff. Just not my favorite overall. 3.5/5

Part #826 of “I know I should like this even more.” Still, a very high 3.5. Great stuff. 3.5/5

I want to like this so much more than I do. I like a lot of the music - *really* like some of it in fact - but feel a massive disconnect with Anderson’s voice. Shame. 3/5

Although The Basement Tapes was the first Dylan record I heard, Bringing It All Back Home was my real introduction to *Bob Dylan*, that guy with the unique singing voice who writes the mind-blowing lyrics. Perhaps a lot of other younger children would have been turned off, but I was instantly hooked. It was the beginning of a lifelong listening journey that has brought me immeasurable joy and enthrallment. I considered this record my favorite of Bob’s for a long time, no doubt due to my nostalgic attachment. As the years have passed, two albums have overtaken it in my personal rankings, but that holds no bearing on how highly I think of it. Some days, it’s still my favorite, and how could it not be? We finally get the emergence of rock and roll Bob, who nails it right out of the gate with “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, a relentless beat-poet cultural commentary with a Chuck Berry-esque groove and proto-hip-hop vocal delivery. It’s followed up two songs later with “Maggie’s Farm”, an equally quotable and breakneck critique of societal expectations. The combination of Bob’s pointed vocals and the band’s rickety drive create a sound unlike anything that came before it, a sound that still aids these two major compositions after all these years. Their urgency is also crucial to the spirited “Outlaw Blues” and the persistent boogie of “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream”, two additional rocking highlights. For all of the attention this album receives as the introduction to electric Dylan, the ballads on Bringing It All Back Home are responsible for so much of its greatness. The studio band is wonderfully tasteful on “She Belongs to Me” and “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”, two remarkable celebrations of love that rank among my top 25 Dylan tracks. Then, of course, we’re treated to the acoustic second side of the record, beginning with the psychedelic masterpiece of “Mr. Tambourine Man”: Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free Silhouetted by the sea Circled by the circus sands With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves Let me forget about today until tomorrow The glorious lyrical imagery combined with Bob’s top-notch vocal is sheer brilliance. Bruce Langhorne’s electric guitar work acts as a nice textural feature as well, ensuring that the recording is as good as the song itself. Dylan also receives accompaniment on the album’s closer, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”, joined by William E. Lee on bass as he delivers one of the grandest melodies he’s ever written. The lyrics and soundscape are as mournful as “Mr. Tambourine Man” is joyous, marking an arresting end to the record. Sandwiched in between these two giants are two completely virtuosic lyrical exercises. “Gates of Eden” and “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” are not only the two most evocative songs he’d written up until this point; they remain two of his most engrossing songs to this day. The latter in particular is still one of the most quotable tracks in his catalog (“He not busy being born is busy dying”; “Even the President of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked”), and its criticism of American consumerism and political hypocrisy, among other things, is as relevant today as it ever was. Whenever I take time away from Bringing It All Back Home, I’m always shocked when I return to it and remember how loaded it is. I know the track listing front-to-back, but to actually hear this group of songs in sequence is an experience I always treasure. I’d venture to say nine of the 11 tracks are in or close to my top 100 Dylan songs, and six - “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, “She Belongs to Me”, “Love Minus Zero”, “Mr. Tambourine Man”, “It’s Alright, Ma”, and “Baby Blue” - are probably in my top 30 alone. The fact that it works so well as a cohesive whole solidifies it as a top 3 Dylan record in my book, and one that I’ll always be grateful for. Least favorite track: “On the Road Again”. Super fun musically, and some memorable lyrics (“Your grandpa’s cane, it turns into a sword/Your grandma prays to pictures that are pasted on a board”). It’s just surrounded by so many titanic compositions, and it’s the one I return to least. Favorite track: “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”. In addition to my aforementioned points, I’m totally in love with Bob’s focused, intense vocals and propulsive guitar work. It’s absolutely phenomenal; my third favorite Dylan track. 5+/5

Pre-listen: WHAT THE FUCK, I LITERALLY JUST GOT THE OTHER ONE FOUR DAYS AGO, JESUS CHRIST. After listening: Eh. Some good stuff, but nothing that moves me. 3/5

Gahhh there’s some stuff I like here, but it’s just not doing it for me on the whole. 2.5/5

There are some damn good Bowie albums before Hunky Dory, but this is the first *great* one. Not my absolute favorite, but truly fantastic. 4.5/5

I completely understand why this is usually peoples’ #1 or #2 Springsteen record. Totally stacked track list, almost every song here is out of this world good. I’ve never been a massive fan of “Something in the Night” or “Candy’s Room”, but everything else is top-notch. Bruce’s songwriting shifts on this record; he writes in a very particular way on his first two albums, tweaks it slightly on Born to Run, and then sort of settles into I guess what you’d call the modern Springsteen mold on this record. His storytelling isn’t any less complex, but his actual language is. He gets a bit more direct, but still very poetic and fantastic at painting a picture with his words. He’s also a total badass guitar player on this record, you hear it right off the bat in “Badlands”, an awesome upbeat pop-rocker that he adds some really gnarly guitar work on. And he kicks it up several notches in track two, “Adam Raised a Cain”, easily the most blistering, incendiary guitar playing in his catalog, and a killer song to boot. I could go on all day about some of these songs, “The Promised Land”, the title track, “Prove It All Night”...it’s a wonderful collection of songs. It’s only my #3 because I have that much love for Born to Run and The Wild, The Innocent…, but still an easy 4.5 stars and an easy 1,001 5 star bump. 4.5/5

I’m extremely high on Bowie’s last three records, including this one obviously. I think he sounds great vocally and musically reinvigorated. Granted, I’m pre-dispositioned to more organic sounds, but I still don’t think these arrangements or production stylings are by the numbers or stale or anything. Just a great batch of songs, one of my favorite albums of 2013. 4/5

I tend to get less out of "primitive" hip-hop than I do out of the origins of other genres, but these guys were clearly still so far ahead of the game. Even if some of their flows and rhymes sound elementary to our modern ears, their subject matter and lyrical intelligence are certainly next level compared to many of their contemporaries. Both Run and D.M.C.'s timbres work so well with Jay's beats, and their interplay is pretty clever as well. I currently have Raising Hell at a low 3.5 stars; this one could potentially get there, too. 3/5

3 Bowie records in six days, huh? Between this and back-to-back k.d. lang's/near-back-to-back Rufus Wainwright's, y'all need to get this randomizer in check. Anyway, another solid Bowie record, what can I say? "Panic in Detroit" is particularly a favorite for me here. 4/5

There's nothing inherently bad about this, but dear God is it fucking boring. This may have more historical significance than a lo-fi hip-hop Spotify playlist, but it sure as hell doesn't have any more or less quality than one. In fact, it may have less diversity. Again, I ask: why did I *have* to hear this before I died? 1.5/5

Doesn't hit me as hard as the first album, but still very good. 3.5/5

A lot of good music and a few great tracks - "Safe from Harm" and "Hymn of the Big Wheel" are my favorites - but consistently bad vocals and lyrics. Not something I'm likely to return to too much. 3/5

I totally understand it/him not being everyone’s thing. I don’t think it’s a spectacular record by any means; the first two tracks are easily the best in my opinion, and the last half of the album drags a bit. I also fully understand why anyone would be turned off by Em’s lyrics/delivery, and truth be told, I don’t think he nails it on every song. But when he’s at the top of his game, I think his depravity is extremely effective, be it humorous or unnerving. And I’ll be damned if “My Name Is” (and it’s beyond tasty Labi Siffre sample) doesn’t hit hard for me every single time. 3.5/5

A cool little surprise. I could stand to come back to this. 3.5/5

I like this about as much as I'm ever bound to like a hybrid of smooth soul and sophisto-pop. Which is still not very much. 2.5/5

As crazy as it sounds, given this laughably low score for one of the most beloved albums of all-time, I’ve actually come a long way with Purple Rain. When I made my inaugural “Prince I Like” playlist a few years ago, I didn’t include anything from this record. I didn’t particularly enjoy any of the songs I’d heard a thousand times, and none of the album cuts stood out to me. If I were to make said playlist now, I’d include a few tracks, “Darling Nikki” most certain of all. I dig the dirtier sounding drums and the delightful weirdness/borderline lo-fi-ness of it all. It has climbed pretty high up my list of favorite Prince songs in recent years. Even though I really don’t enjoy the drum sounds or synth stabs, I’d probably still include “Let’s Go Crazy” for the guitar work alone (I’d also consider throwing “Computer Blue” on there for the same reasons, though the second half of the song doesn’t do nearly as much for me as the gnarly first half does). The song I’ve come the farthest with, though, is “When Doves Cry”. Although I still don’t particularly dig the synth tone, I’ve grown to appreciate the sparser arrangement of it and the killer guitar tone. Otherwise…I don’t know, y’all. I know I’m the weird one. I know I’m the “wrong” one. I truly, honest to God recognize, respect, and occasionally enjoy his talent, but I just don’t fully “get” this classic era of Prince. I don’t enjoy his singing voice most of the time. I have a difficult time with the sound of these records, especially the drums and synthesizers. Stylistically, I struggle with the particular brand of R&B he tends to draw from. For instance, everyone loses their mind over "I Would Die 4 U", and that makes me feel the biggest sense of disconnect, because I think it sounds terrible. Same with "The Beautiful Ones". Hell, even the title track - a song which most rational people would argue is one of the best ever - has never moved me whatsoever. I don't hate it, and was as genuinely taken with his Super Bowl performance as anyone else, but I don't care/need to hear it ever again. Especially not the laughably echoing drums on it. When I listen to this album, I feel like I'm acknowledging and appreciating its greatness from a distance, rather than feeling immersed in and taken by it. I'm glad it reaches so many people on a deeper level, but it still doesn't have that high a ceiling for me. I definitely enjoy it much more than 1999, but I still think Sign o' the Times is the classic album that stands the best chance of rising higher in my estimations. 3/5

What an album. "But the Attractions aren't with him yet!" Yes, I know, and I do love them too. But not only is the pub rock energy of this album so damn good, but the *songs* just can't be argued with. I love it. Probably should be a proper 5-star. At the very least, it gets the bump for this website. 4.5/5

Sorry, I know I'm supposed to worship the tortured genius of Syd, but Floyd's debut does nothing for me. I have little patience for the precious British whimsy of it all, especially combined with severely undercooked psychedelia that's not nearly on the same level of other artists coming out around this time. I will continue to give out other high scores for Floyd, but this won't be one of them. 2/5

Fourth Bowie album in two weeks. But this one truly is perfect. I don't hold him on the pedestal that many others do - he's probably a top 100 artist for me, but not top 20 - but even despite that, and despite wishing I liked glam-rock more than I do, there's just no way I can deny the incredible songwriting and performances on this record. As cliche as it may be, it's my favorite of his. 5/5

“By the Time I Get to Arizona” was something of a revelation. What a fucking track! Great writing overall, but the rest of it musically doesn’t do much for me. 3/5

Just so damn good. “Coyote”, “Amelia”, “Furry Sings the Blues”, “Blue Motel Room”…perfect songs. I’m honestly not a huge Jaco fan, but his presence here doesn’t even bother me. Probably only my 4th favorite Joni record, which speaks to her complete excellence. 4.5/5

Part #625 of “I don’t like this as much as I’m supposed to.” But I do like it. And I LOVE “Cherub Rock”. Just not an all-time favorite. 3.5/5

Fuck, this is incredibly good. Could be a true 5-star album for me someday. For now, it's just on the edge, but enough to get the bump here. 4.5/5

“Them Changes” rules. There’s a lot of care and talent put into this. It’s just not my thing overall. 2.5/5

It’s too long, but man, so much of it is fucking awesome. One of my highest 4 star ratings so far, could easily be 4.5 one day. 4/5

Meh. Some great stuff here and he’s obviously a hell of a producer, but I won’t ever return to this. My ceiling for hip-hop strikes again. 3/5

Very good and pleasant. Not sure how much I ever need to hear it again. 3/5

Sorry, y’all. I just don’t know how anyone takes this music (or at least these vocals) seriously. 1.5/5

This was totally fine, professional, pleasant, and inoffensive. But I did absolutely not need to hear this before dying. 3/5

Likely my second favorite Neil studio record. Love everything about it. 5/5

Not *quite* perfect (he gets there on the next record), but still pretty fucking awesome. 4.5/5

I can tell this is very well done. I just don't particularly like it. 2/5

Evans was an amazing player and musical mind; there's a reason that Miles entrusted him to man the piano for Kind of Blue. His work on that record speaks for itself, as does his work on Oliver Nelson's The Blues & The Abstract Truth and quite a bit of his solo material. And yet, while I find albums like Sunday at the Village Vanguard perfectly easy and enjoyable to listen to, I don't find him as engaging as many other pianists when it comes to leading a trio. As some people here have pointed out, the late, great Scott LaFaro often appears to be the MVP of this performance (a claim that Evans himself might not have disputed), but with all due respect to him, I want to hear Evans handle a little bit more of the heavy lifting. Which isn't to say that Bill isn't amazing; I think his playing on "Gloria's Step" and "Alice in Wonderland", in particular, is spectacular. I just don't think, especially at this point in his career, he was the most charismatic performer, and while I don't want/need him to be Jerry Lee Lewis behind the piano, I find myself gravitating toward people like Red Garland, Ahmad Jamal, and a host of other pianists when I consider who I'd prefer to hear in this environment. Still, good stuff. 3.5/5

Clearly a talented writer, but it’s a little too hammy for me. 3/5

All these songs are way too long, Paul Buchanan doesn’t sound as good as he does on Hats, and I just don’t like this production. Blegh. 2/5

Pre-listen: I’m so fucking sick of so many fucking 80’s albums. I hope I’m wrong and I look/sound like an idiot, but oh my god, it feels like every other album is from this wretched decade. Post-listen: nope, wasn’t wrong. More terribly boring and dated music to be filed away under the worst, most pretentious genre name: “sophisti-pop.” Spare me your declarations of how “intelligent” it is. “Someone Somewhere” isn’t the worst leadoff track, the energy of “Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel” is somewhat interesting, and the bass line on “Glittering Prize” rips. But I really don’t understand the appeal of this production or general style 99% of the time, and although Jim Kerr is not a terrible vocalist, he’s terribly anonymous, and that may be even worse. 2.5/5

It’s Bland! 2/5

I don’t like it as much as I “should”, and I seem to be in the minority in thinking that “Beauty and the Beast” is lame as hell. However, the title track is an all-timer, and I actually quite like a lot of the ambient stuff. 3.5/5

Goddamn, this is REALLY fucking cool. Not at all what I was expecting. Insane mix of jazz and classical. I need to learn more about this. Lots of room to grow here. 4/5

Despite liking the majority of their albums, this one towers over everything else for me. They sound bigger and more powerful than they had before, but they do so without sacrificing a shred of musicality or identity. They still clearly sound like R.E.M., and for my money, they sound like the absolute best version of R.E.M. Stipe’s vocals (and Mills’, for that matter) are confident and dynamic, the band is locked in and firing on all cylinders, and the songwriting is top-notch. In addition to the two big hits, I’ll never tire of “Finest Worksong” and “Exhuming McCarthy” in particular. This one’s an easy 5 stars for me; on some days, it challenges Rain Dogs as my favorite album of the decade. 5/5

Yes, you do need to hear this before you die. Not just because it’s extremely ahead of its time, but because it fucking rules. 4/5

Some really great stuff here. Excited to keep going back to this. 4/5

Solid writing, but far too subdued and one-note for me to really like that much. 2.5/5

Janis was one of the first vocalists I ever loved. And I still love her dearly. She’s so genuinely passionate, vulnerable, and powerful…really, the only “bad” thing about this record is how sad it makes me to think that we lost her so soon. Practically every song is a highlight here, with the instrumental “Buried Alive in the Blues” perhaps being the only “weak” link. Fantastic record. 4.5/5

Haven’t really had my “a-ha!” moment with Berman yet, but there’s some great music here and he’s clearly a great lyricist. I hope I’ll “get it” more one day. 3.5/5

There’s a sheen to it that I struggle with, but some damn good songs. “Slow Burn” is tremendous. This could potentially grow one day. 3/5

Good and perfectly professional, but not my favorite era of the band, and not my favorite sound in general. 3.5/5

Realizing I don’t really *love* glam-rock, but still, very solid record. Will definitely return to it one day. 3.5/5

A very enjoyable, inconsequential record that I did not “need to hear before I died.” 3.5/5

Awesome, awesome soul jazz. Jimmy’s playing is so fluid, and Stanley Turrentine has one of the most perfect tenor sax tones ever. Great shit. 4.5/5

Per usual with Beck, highly inventive and entertaining. 4/5

The first half of this album is a major, sanitized bummer. It’s so disappointing to hear a legend like Hooker enveloped by shitty 80’s production and forced guest stars. The second half, when the arrangements are dialed back a bit, is much better. Personally? I see no need to reach for this when his classic material is available. 3/5

Seriously fun hard rock. 3.5/5

They saved their best for last. Not a wasted note, in my opinion. Perfection. 5/5

There are some moments in here that I dig, but overall, this is very much not for me. 2/5

Clearly well-constructed baroque pop that I just don’t care that much about. 3/5

Perhaps I’m coming around to them yet. Still don’t love Geddy’s voice a lot of the time, but I can deal with these instrumentals and production. 3.5/5

I can’t believe this is on the list. Didn’t like it when I was 9, don’t like it now. 1/5

Deserves all the praise it’s gotten. Absolutely magnificent across the board: the playing, the songwriting, the production, the sequencing, everything. A truly perfect record. 5/5

Surprised to find this one grow on me with an additional listen! Cole is a clever songwriter and solid vocalist, not falling into some of the typical traps that a lot of 80's singers in this genre tend to. Great band arrangements; mostly rooted in dependable jangle pop, shades of sophisti-pop without overdoing it. I have to imagine this would easily make my top 25 of 1984. 4/5

It’s just not something I’m going to listen to a whole lot, but goddamn is Frank good. Some of these are just miraculous. Will never not love “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”. 3.5/5

I was always a casual fan of Fugazi's via my dad's record collection, but never dove into them too much. I know I really dig the debut EP, and after two listens, I like this one a good bit too. I generally prefer MacKaye's songs to Picciotto's, but think they're both worthy songwriters and frontmen at the end of the day. They strike a solid balance between abrasiveness and accessibility, and they're damn good instrumentalists to boot. 4/5

Perhaps critics and the general public just needed a bit of time to make sure the world wouldn’t end, but three years after announcing, and subsequently being blamed for, the Beatles’ breakup, Paul delivered a record that finally won everyone over. It would have been pretty hard to deny this one; it still sounds like a massive success 50 years later, thanks in no small part to the fact that it contains three verifiable classics. The title track is one of Paul’s all-time crowning achievements, with three distinct sections expertly crafted, connected, and performed. Tony Visconti provides some exquisite orchestration to fill out an already-flawless soundscape, and, setting a tone for most every song on the record, the three-part harmonies between Paul, Linda, and Denny Laine are supremely good. “Jet” is the first true rocker of Paul’s solo career, kicking off with an effective three-note guitar/saxophone riff before exploding into a rush of pure energy featuring one of Mr. McCartney’s finest drumming performances. And “Let Me Roll It” is one of Paul’s most beloved ballads for good reason. Seen by some as a tribute to John with its snarling riff, use of tape echo, and repetitive lyrics, it contains an unbelievable lead vocal from Paul, enhanced with glorious harmonies in the choruses, and great Hammond organ from Linda. These three songs, like the album as a whole, stand the test of time; the masterclass of songwriting that is the title track may be my personal favorite, but all three rank among the best of Paul’s solo career, and their popularity is well-deserved. That’s not to say the other tracks on Band On The Run aren’t also gems. In particular, I have never been able to get enough of the bizarrely fun “Mrs Vandebilt.” The infectious “ho-hey-ho” background vocals and hilarious banter at the end of the song are overwhelmingly appealing, so much so that they threaten to, but thankfully don’t, overshadow the abundance of brilliant performances on the song. Linda’s electric piano playing is excellent, as are Howard Casey’s saxophone solos, and Paul delivers both his best bass playing on the album and marvelous dual-lead guitar work with Denny. Following “Let Me Roll It” is another first-class ballad in “Mamunia.” Featuring superb acoustic guitar work from Paul and Moog synthesizer from Linda, it is a beautiful and calming call to consider the positive in every seemingly negative situation (“The rain comes falling from the sky to fill the stream that fills the sea/And that’s where life began for you and me/So the next time you see rain, it ain’t bad/Don’t complain it rains for you”). “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink To Me)” has an intriguingly drowsy ambiance that sounds effectively akin to a dream of someone on their deathbed. Just like a dream, it glides by lazily at points before unexpectedly shifting; motifs and choruses weave in and out of each other effortlessly; two previous songs, “Jet” and “Mrs Vandebilt,” are quoted and integrated brilliantly. It is remarkably intricate, yet it floats by so smoothly. It’s another perfect example on this record of Paul flexing his muscles with true confidence for the first time in his solo career. The results are spectacular, and although I can’t deem it my favorite McCartney record like many others, Band On The Run is a complete, undoubted success. 5/5

I think this album well executes the marriage of their most rocking material up to this point and the more electronic aspects of their previous two albums. I think it runs a bit too long, but it’s probably my fourth favorite Radiohead. One of the few albums of theirs you could unironically say doesn't get enough credit. 4/5

I also prefer Nevermind, which may make me a basic bitch, but I don't care. Nevermind and Unplugged were the ones that changed my life; In Utero was the one that I "only" really liked. But I've continued to really like it through the years, and even if it doesn't totally get all the way up to 5 stars for me on a personal enjoyment level, it's still a tremendous group of songs. 4.5/5

Horrifically boring and, more damning for the legitimacy of this list, horrifically inessential. 1/5

I initially had this at 2.5 stars; although I appreciated the lyrical content right away, I found it to be a bit long and one-note. It musically revealed itself a bit more to me on second listen, and even though I’d probably still cut a few songs (and it’s not my preferred era of this genre), I think it could still continue to rise for me. 3/5

Closer to 4.5 stars than you might think. If a few of the non-hits were on the same level as the hits, it would be there. At least. Skynyrd has developed a strange reputation thanks to the atrocity that is the reunion-era band, the played-out "Free Bird" jokes, and "Sweet Home Alabama" attaining a level of radio overplay that should be illegal. But don't sleep on the original lineup's albums. It's not just good southern rock; it's damn good rock and roll period. 4/5

Lana tends to horrifically bore me, but this is my favorite of hers so far. 2.5/5

I could probably list close to 200 albums with an argument to be included on this list. Albums that serve to truly enrich the life of the listener. Albums with unbelievable cultural and historical significance. Albums that speak to and/or make sense of the human experience. In lieu of those hundreds of albums, the curator of this project decided to include Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water by Limp Bizkit. They made dozens of questionable decisions, but perhaps none more nonsensical than this one. It's a shame that one star is the lowest rating we're allowed here. 0/5

Meh. Inoffensive, but inessential. No desire to ever hear it again. 2.5/5

Probably only my fourth favorite Costello record and somehow still on the verge of 5 stars. Just wonderfully performed and written. 4.5/5

I initially gave this a light 3.5 when I first heard it, but I’ve heard it a few more times since then and it’s lowered in my estimation every time. Other than “Seven Seas of Rhye”, side B is verrrrry trying for me. Honestly, my favorite song on the record is Roger Taylor’s “The Loser in the End”. I get why a lot of people really dig it, but this could be my least favorite of their 70’s output. 3/5

It all sounds good, but it’s overlong and not much of it excites or grabs me. I’ll come back to it sometime and see if I feel differently. 3/5

Not to be dismissed as a Summer of Love relic, there’s a lot of damn good stuff here. 4/5

The title track is an all-timer. The rest of the album doesn’t live up to it, but a decent listen overall. 3.5/5

There are elements and songs here I like (“Swampsnake”) in particular, but it’s not coming together all the way for me. Interested to see how I feel if I ever revisit it. 3/5

I am not a huge fan of typical 1980’s production stylings, and there are times on this album where the gated drums are a bit much for me, or there’s a little too much echo for my liking. However, the songs are so good, and in recent years, I’ve come around to it more and more. The title track, which sounds like a fun, upbeat song on first listen, is a great, biting commentary on the state of America post-Vietnam. “I’m on Fire” is a really effective song, I love the bed of synths that really set the mood well. “Dancing in the Dark”, kind of like the title track, at first glance is just this fun upbeat pop song, but some really heavy lyrics underneath it all, really fantastic song. I love “Downbound Train”, “No Surrender”, the closer “My Hometown”...even though it’s only my ninth favorite Springsteen album, I still really like it a lot, and I have just recently bumped it up to 4 stars. 4/5

I never cared about this band. I still don’t, but I recognize that this is still pretty decent. 3.5/5

I’m still learning how to love Leonard Cohen. This one may connect with me more if/whenever I get more into him. I can tell how good the writing is, and certain songs resonate with me. I’m just not all the way there with it. 3.5/5

God, I want to like this *so much more than I do*. I like Jeff Lynne, or at least I think I do. I think his three-album run as producer of Cloud Nine, Traveling Wilburys Vol. One, and Full Moon Fever in the late 80's can be stacked up against any three-album run by any producer. But...I don't know. Everything here is *so* clean and *so* sheen that I just don't really connect with it. And it's always so, so much. Chill on the vocoder and the strings. Yes, I KNOW that's your thing and why so many people love this, but not me. It's not bad, and there are songs I dig (especially "Jungle" and "Mr. Blue Sky"), but it's not anywhere near the top of my list. 3/5

Equally fascinating, entertaining, stimulating, and important. 4/5

As inoffensive as it is inconsequential. 3/5

This must be the most accessible Beefheart, but that doesn’t mean it’s not damn good. 4/5

They've honestly grown on me and I've gained more appreciation for them than I've ever had. The stuff on here I like the most, I think is legitimately very cool. But a lot of it still doesn't do much (if anything) for me, some of the songs are way too long, and the album as a whole is too long. 2.5/5

Infectious to the nth degree. Don’t see what there’s not to love about it. Solid bangers top to bottom. Incredible hooks, some subtly interesting arrangements, absolutely perfect guitar tones, and killer energy, all packed in less than half an hour. Probably my 1976 AOTY. 5/5

Competent and pleasant, with a few distinctly solid tracks. Just not mindblowing or essential. 3.5/5

Extra half-star for the cool orchestral elements. And honestly, there are some other musical elements that pop up every now and then that I don't hate. But for the most part, this is verrrrrrry much not for me. 1.5/5

Bridges the gap perfectly between quirky and accessible, experimental and straightforward. 4/5

Better than I expected, but still not very good and way too long. 2/5

Some cool ideas, but I much prefer where Spiritualized eventually ends up. Overall too droney and repetitive, especially because my brain isn't fried on acid. 2.5/5

After two Waterboys albums, I feel pretty confident that I like but will never love them. And that's okay. There *is* some excellent stuff on here, though. 3.5/5

Was waffling back and forth between my long-standing 4 stars and a high 3.5, but the highlights are too damn good for me to consider changing now. I could probably live with a nice compilation of my favorites between this and Frank, but overall, I just think she was an amazing talent and I wish we could have seen where she'd go from here. 4/5

Volume 683 of “I wish I liked this more”, but still really good. 3.5/5

The perfect soundtrack for my foggy late-night drive home from work. Albeit not on the level of Daydream Nation or Goo, in my opinion, very engrossing experimental, noisy goodness. 4/5

“Shining Star” is fantastic. There are some other decent elements, but most of it is too cheesy. 2.5/5

The obvious, boring choice for my favorite album of his, but I can’t lie to myself. I don’t want to say it’s not close, because I do love Darkness and Wild Innocent, but I simply don’t have a remotely negative thing to say about Born to Run. I think it’s a perfect album. 5 of its 8 songs are some of my favorite Springsteen songs ever, and the other 3 are no slouches, either. Front to back, it is a masterclass of killer songwriting, and exuberant performances. And, I think similarly to the album before it, a bit of a singular work in Bruce’s catalog. You’ve basically got the classic E Street lineup in place now (Stevie Van Zandt isn’t fully in the fold yet, but he contributes a couple vocal parts and helps with the horn arrangement on “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”), but it kind of exists in this world halfway in between the straightforward heartland rock that they’ll become known for and the jazzier arrangements of the first two albums, and Bruce’s songwriting exists in that in between as well. And for me, that’s the ultimate sweet spot. I love Bruce, and I love what he was tapping into on his first couple of records, and I love a lot of what he’s done over the last 45 years, but Born to Run is quite easily the pinnacle for me. He was so hungry to succeed; he is the quintessential “I don’t have any other options” kind of musician, he had to make sure this worked out for him, and you hear that hunger in every single song. I don’t think his voice has ever sounded more passionate than it does on Born to Run. That voice really drives every song; regardless of what tempo these songs are, they always feel like they’re propulsing forward. There’s such an incredible movement to this record. And as desperate as you can tell he is, he still takes the time to basically write a love letter to the music that speaks to him the most. You can hear shades of Orbison in his voice, you get the Bo Diddley and Buddy Holly influences in “She’s the One”, the Stax-style horns on “Tenth-Avenue Freeze Out”, obviously the shades of Dylan and Van Morrison in the lyrics. He throws it all into this blender and it still comes out sounding like nothing that came before it. I think it sounds so original, and still so fresh today. Overflowing with creativity and emotion and power. A total masterpiece in my book, an easy 5 stars, and my favorite Bruce Springsteen album. 5/5

This album is a mess of beautiful contradictions. Inaccessible, but inviting. Dirty and brutal, but fun and melodic. Terrible, but awesome. I think it’s fantastic. 4/5

Their first perfect album. God, what an unbelievable set of songs. And the energy! Unmatched. My sixth favorite Beatles record, and it would probably be my favorite for about 98% of other artists. 5/5

This one has aged really well. Great social commentary. My ceiling for hip-hop strikes again, but it's very close to 4 stars. 3.5/5

Very close to 4 stars. Would easily be at least that without all the side 2 narration. The actual music is awesome. 3.5/5

Good and pleasant, just a bit inconsistent. I also don't necessarily mind when artists emulate other artists, but there were a few too many times on this record where I thought they were aping someone else. 3/5

Of the four Fela records I've heard, this one is pretty easily my favorite. I can occasionally struggle with the Afrobeat repetition as well if I'm not in the mood for it, but both of these songs feature more than enough moving melodic parts to "offset" it. The passion in his voice is quite striking as well; I can see this one growing on me if my appreciation for the genre grows a bit. 4/5

I am completely incapable of enjoying this music, well performed/arranged/written as it might be. 1.5/5

Jeff Beck is pretty obviously the star of the show here. The Yardbirds are one of many groups from this era whose studio albums don't really paint the clearest picture of their history or impact, and I'm generally lukewarm on them anyway, but this is still highly listenable to me. "Over Under Sideways Down" the clear highlight. 3.5/5

I love Music from Big Pink. A stellar, groundbreaking, magical record, an easy 5 stars and probable top 50 album all-time for me. And I think this one is even better. What it lacks in mysterious psychedelia it gains in even more gorgeous intimacy. All three vocalists sound better than they ever have or ever will. Likely a top 20-25 all-time album. I’m so grateful for its existence. 5+/5

I have as much of a sentimental attachment to In Rainbows as I could have for any of Radiohead's albums. I vividly remember when it was surprise released as a pay-what-you-want deal; I was a junior in high school, 16 years old, working at a movie theater, and a couple of slightly older co-workers were mind-blown. I was too, to a degree - I wasn't aware of any other artist having done anything like that before - but since they were huge fans, it impacted them especially hard. I don't think I had heard a full album of theirs yet; although I knew "Fake Plastic Trees", "High and Dry", and "Karma Police" and liked them all, most Radiohead fans I knew were so insufferable that it stopped me from exploring further. But this was such a unique event that it convinced me to "buy" it for free and dive in. I was surprised to find that I liked it pretty much immediately and without reservation! Even still, I only listened a handful of times before it kind of fell to the back of my mind. I revisited it every now and then throughout the years to try and rebel against my Radiohead-averse attitude, was always reminded of its greatness, and promptly put it in my back pocket again. Although I still have somewhat conflicting feelings on the band, I have very much gotten over that initial hesitancy and would say, overall, that I'm a fan, if not to the level that many are. And even though I enjoy all of their albums to varying degrees, In Rainbows is still my favorite. It's the perfect blend of all their rocking and electronic tendencies. Colin Greenwood and Philip Selway are personally the stars of the show for me; every groove, as well as their individual tones/sounds are out of this world. This one may continue to rise in my estimations; going 5 stars for the site. 4.5/5

I literally just listened to this for the first time earlier today. Are you guys fucking spying on me?!?!?! You'll be hearing from my lawyer. I think Tori is a damn good lyricist. I certainly feel a disconnect with some of the more "theatrical" elements, though I don't personally feel that they dominate the album. Whereas the Kate Bush that I'm familiar with feels very rooted in a style of pop music that I'm not a huge fan of, Tori sounds a lot more rooted in a brand of songwriting that I relate to and appreciate more. "Crucify", "Girl", "Happy Phantom", "Leather", and "Me and a Gun" stand out in particular to me, and even though I don't think I'll ever be a huge fan of hers or even return to this album all that much, I definitely don't take too much issue with it in general. 3.5/5

When I was 15 years old, I got a free ticket to go see Peter Frampton in Newport, Rhode Island. I knew and liked the three big radio hits - "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do" - and free is free, so why not? Before the show started, the venue made a big to-do that no one was allowed to stand in the space between the front of the stage and the front row; alas, by the middle of the first song, there were quite a few people right up in there. Halfway through the set, Frampton ripped into a killer cover of "Black Hole Sun". My friend and I thought it was super badass, so we tried to sneak up to the front. A security guard stopped us and explained that the only people allowed to stand either had front row tickets or exclusive VIP passes. As we returned to our seats disappointed, I turned around to see Frampton looking at us with a confused expression. During the next song, a killer version of "(I'll Give You) Money", a couple more people tried to get up front and were also stopped. As the song kept playing, Peter announced, "Let the people come up and dance! If they can't get up here and dance, I'm walking off this stage." My friend and I looked at each other and *booked it* to the front, as did many others. The security guards continued to try and stop a few people, which Frampton objected to. He cued the band to stop, took his guitar off, and left the stage. I remember saying to my friend, "Even if he doesn't come back, this is the most badass concert ever." Sure enough, though, he returned about 10 minutes later with a shit-eating grin on his face and said, "Let's pick that one back up from my guitar solo." He finished the song (and the set) while my friend and I got to enjoy it from right up front, and to this day, it's one of the coolest, most respectable rock star moves I've ever witnessed. I suppose I can understand why he may not be everyone's cup of tea, and I'm sure some people of a certain generation got burnt out on this album's hype, but I will never have anything but the utmost respect for Peter Frampton. And this album is pretty damn good. 4/5

Perfect energy. 4/5

Killer amalgam of punk, blues, rockabilly, and more. Wish more of the 80's sounded like this. 4/5

I’m truly just not the biggest vocal Jazz guy, but this is very good. She was excellent. 3.5/5

Very good, but they’re still one album away from true greatness. 3.5/5

Definitely a bit slight in terms of composition and variety, but I still dig it a good amount based on the strength of the playing and the overall style. 3.5/5

The album that changed my life. I would quite literally not be the person I am without it. These days, it’s only my third favorite Beatles album, but still likely my fifth favorite of all-time by anyone. Just massively important, personally and otherwise. I love every single second of it and wouldn’t change a thing about it. Eternally grateful. I’m so lucky to live in a world where this exists. 5+/5

I don't know how much I find truly great, but I think most of it is pretty damn good. A high 3.5 with room to grow to a true 4 stars one day. 3.5/5

I truly do not want or need this type of music in my life. Well crafted for what it is, but it's not for me. 2/5

It's good. Good enough to get the 4 star bump here. But I'm missing something with this band and I'm not sure what it is. 3.5/5

I love Led Zeppelin. They are a top 5-6 band all-time for me. They have impacted my life so much in so many ways. But I push back on this being their magnum opus, as some fans claim it so obviously is. To me, they were never better than they were on their first four albums, when Plant’s voice was in his prime and Page and Bonham weren’t *as* junked out as they were by their middle/end years. That’s when they were their absolute mightiest in every way. Yes, they evolved as songwriters in certain ways as time went on, and at their best, that paid major dividends. But it also led to far more swings and misses than there were over their first four albums, and while I respect those efforts, I can’t say I like them more. I like every song on this album to varying degrees, and two of them - “Ten Years Gone” and “In the Light” - are among my 10 or 15 favorite Led Zeppelin songs. I also quite like “Down by the Seaside”, “Houses of the Holy”, “Night Flight”, and “The Rover”. But “Kashmir” is among my “least favorite” Zeppelin hits, and as good as “Custard Pie”, “The Wanton Song”, “Black Country Woman”, and “Sick Again” are, I’ll take basically every song on the first four albums over them, especially because I can probably find analogous songs over the first four albums that are superior. This is a great record, one I cherish in its own way, but it’s not *my* Zeppelin record. A very, very high 4 stars. 4/5

Tough to argue with. It only means so much to me, but it’s excellent. 4/5

I like it. Perhaps one day I’ll love it. 4/5

My second favorite Radiohead. I don’t love it enough to get it to 5 stars, but it could get there one day. 4.5/5

The rare double album that gets better as it goes on. Interested to revisit this down the line, especially after refamiliarizing myself with their early records. 3.5/5

After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars a few years ago, my favorite quote came courtesy of Daniel Radcliffe when he was asked about the incident: "I'm just so already dramatically bored of hearing people's opinions about it that I just don't want to be another opinion adding to it." That is kind of how I feel about Taylor Swift; I respect that (and understand why) her music means so much to so many people, and I equally respect that (and understand why) so many are annoyed by her constant presence in the mainstream. But what about people like me, who are kind of just in the middle of it all? Why must I be forced to have an opinion on someone who I don't particularly care about?! Truth be told, I don't blame Taylor. Perhaps it's her "fault" that she's gained such cultural significance in the fact that she's written a multitude of hit songs and has had an incredible marketing team around her for nearly two decades now, but it's not her fault that our pop culture-obsessed society operates the way it does in lifting certain celebrities up on a pedestal and/or shoving them down our throats. At the end of the day, I suppose it goes both ways: we love the players, and she loves the game. Anyway, I digress. I'm just so dramatically bored of feeling the need to either love or hate Taylor Swift. And truth be told, I don't love or hate this album. It shouldn't surprise anyone that I'm not the biggest pop girlie in the world; the poppiest moments on this record - "I Wish You Would" and "How You Get the Girl" in particular - grate on me quite a bit, and yes, the overall style of 1989 is not one that I would normally gravitate toward. However, I find I tend to like modern, 80's inspired pop slightly more than actual 80's pop because, even if I don't love the production, I still find the sounds more palatable than the ones from 40+ years ago. To that end, this isn't the hardest album for me to listen to, and there are moments/songs I genuinely enjoy, particularly on Side A. "Welcome to New York" has some really fascinating production elements, and I really like some of the dissonant vocal harmonies. Additionally, I might have told you 10 years ago that I was sick and tired of "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space", but these days, I find the former to be extremely fun and the latter to be a melodic tour-de-force. I think they're almost perfect songs... ...almost, because I think they both have pretty lousy bridges. Although I stand by the fact that I don't hate Taylor and never have, I have definitely always grimaced whenever she's broken out her particular brand of hip-hop inspired vocal delivery, so the bridge to "Shake It Off" always leaves me freezing cold. As far as "Blank Space", I'm a huge proponent of a well-utilized direct lyrical approach, but the "boys only want love if it's torture" bit sounds so drastically out of place and underwritten compared to the rest of the song. That juxtaposition kind of sums of my feelings on her writing as a whole: I think she clearly has a lot of talent, and every now and then, she'll break out a lyric that really impresses me. Other times, though, I find her writing extremely clunky, and not even just in a "I don't think I relate to this" way. "Bad Blood" is the worst offender for me on this record, but it's certainly not the only culprit. Then again, that melody is pretty damn solid...see, this is why I can't commit to love or hatred! I don't think I'll ever reach for this album on a regular basis, but I also don't see how anyone could deny it of all merit. And for those of you who love it, I salute you. 2.5/5

Starts off strong and loses me a bit in the second half. Still figuring out my relationship to this band. 3.5/5

Unbelievable performance. Sam's voice is top-notch. I wish there were a few more true standout songs, but very little to complain about. 4.5/5

As a Tom Waits, Ween, and Zappa fan, this doesn’t seem too far outside the box to me. Still delightfully strange, of course. Way more interesting than a lot of other albums on this list. 3.5/5

My second favorite U2 album. Not quite perfection, but they’re approaching it. 4.5/5

I like the base of it, but it gets a bit too repetitive. 2.5/5

With all due respect to some of the lyrics' social aspects, this is just about the opposite of what I want rock music to sound like. 0.5/5

I don’t know if I love how side B is sequenced - “A Hazy Shade of Winter” and “At the Zoo” have always struck me as an odd 1-2 pair of album closers - but I just love most of these individual songs so damn much, and particularly love the flow of side A. 4.5/5

Excellent songwriting and atmosphere. Excited to spend more time with this one. 4.5/5

It's largely not to my liking, but there are a few elements that really catch my ear. Track 2 in particular - "Banstyle / Sappys Curry" - is pretty interesting. But my god, is it long and repetitive. It may even be closer to 1 star than 2, but I can't in good conscience give this the same score on this website as Limp Bizkit. 1.5/5

I was pleasantly surprised when I heard The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but after hearing this one, Foxtrot, Trick of the Tail, and Seconds Out, I’m convinced Genesis is just not the band for me. There are select songs (especially on Lamb) I dig, and I certainly respect all the individual talent, but I just feel a massive disconnect with the overall style and execution. 2.5/5

I can’t lie to myself and pretend that the repetition doesn’t get to me at times. But I really dig a lot of the individual performances and Kuti sounds as impassioned as ever. 3.5/5

I hope one day I will love this as much as everyone else seems to. 3.5/5

“Common People” is great, and the rest is good. It gets the bump to 4 for this website. But I’m not sure what it is about this band that makes some people lose their minds. 3.5/5

Damn, this is fantastic. Excited to keep revisiting this one. 4/5

Much more interesting than some would lead you to suggest. Better than most of its imitators. 4/5

Despite not having the biggest range in the world, Lanegan is such an expressive singer, and he fits this band so well. This is such a musically adventurous album. Room for this one to keep growing on me. 4/5

I'm no expert on ambient music, but I know I dig this a decent amount. 3.5/5

Going with a decently solid 3.5 stars on this. For me, the three hits are far and away the standouts, especially the supremely cool "Do It Again". A pretty perfect recording, if you ask me. None of the other seven tracks come close to it, "Dirty Work", or "Reelin' in the Years" for me, though Skunk Baxter's work on "Kings" and "Change of the Guard" is particularly excellent. "Only a Fool Would Say That" and "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" are the only clunkers in my book, and even then, neither are offensively bad by any means. Just not my preferred style. 3.5/5

Slightly confused as to why this one is so propped up, but I certainly can't pretend to be a hip-hop expert. As an outsider, this is extremely one-note and not half as interesting as quite a few rap albums also on this list. 2.5/5

I couldn’t be happier that this album is on here. It very much changed my life. White Blood Cells and Elephant made me a White Stripes fan, but this one kickstarted my Jack White obsession and opened the doors to looking at music in an entirely different way. I don’t care if other people view it as inferior to the rest of their catalog; I love every single second of it. 5+/5

This one gets a big ol’ “meh” from me. 3/5

I respect that everyone seems to love it, but I just really, really don’t get it. “Running Up That Hill” is great, but otherwise…meh. Just not my thing I guess. 2.5/5

Wanted to like it more than I did - I love the Singles Going Steady comp - but still very good. 3.5/5

Much respect to both of these individual artists. This bored the fuck out of me. 2/5

Yes yes yes yes yes. Total perfection. This performance of "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" is one of my absolute favorite pieces of music ever recorded. One of the more important albums of my lifetime. 5/5

I won't pretend that the title track or "Life in the Fast Lane" are my favorite songs ever, or even that I ever have the urge to put them on, but I do enjoy them well enough when they're playing. Combined with the overall inoffensiveness of most of the album, they're enough to not sink it below 3 stars. But I just...don't care. It's honestly funny to me that people have such strong opinions about this band, positively or negatively, in the first place. Perhaps this is my privilege talking as a child of the 90's who didn't need to deal with their onslaught of fame in the 70's. Anyway...it's fine. 3/5

It's always fascinating when you are thoroughly entertained by something, but equally can't stand anything about it. Respect. 0 stars, but a higher 0 stars than Limp Bizkit. 0/5

I don’t love it/it doesn’t mean as much to me as the debut, but I still absolutely love it. Jimi was the goddamn coolest. 5/5

I think the production is uniformly excellent; every sample and musical backdrop is expertly crafted, leading to hooks on hooks on hooks. I think Akil, Soup, Charli 2na, and Marc 7 all have pretty solid flows/timbres, and the guest appearances all feel pretty natural and seamless as well. Really, really good shit. 4/5

Way different and way cooler than I was expecting! Interesting and effective blend of organic Americana instruments/sounds with more standard British new wave and synthpop. I underestimated these guys! Excited to return to this and see if I go higher with my score. 3.5/5

Listen #1: My first Spirit album and I’m definitely impressed. Strong vocals and nice musical diversity. Will definitely be returning to this one. Listen #2: On second listen, it didn't hit quite as hard; I'm not sure if I'm totally sold on the songwriting overall, and it struck me as just a bit style over substance, although I really like the general sounds and styles. I'm still landing at a pretty high 3.5 stars, mainly on the strength of Jay Ferguson's vocals and solid production. Perhaps I'll come even more back around on it on my next listen. 3.5/5

Yeah yeah yeah, it's important and influential and everything, I have no problem giving it all the roses it deserves on an objective level. Subjectively, I don't want ever want to listen to music that sounds like this, no matter how well written or produced it is (or at least, how well written and produced people SAY it is). 2/5

Maybe one day I will appreciate this band more. Today is not that day. 3/5

"Frankie Teardrop" just blew my goddamn mind. Holy shit, I can't wait to dig deeper into this. 4/5

I prefer a bit more room for exploration in jazz, and additionally, I generally prefer a more stripped back group. The stylings of and arrangements for the nonet lend this to sound like it still has one foot in the big band era of old, which I like fine enough but is rarely something I want to listen to in larger doses. That said, it’s awesome to pick out the aspects of it that are clearly pushing the envelope for the time. I love the unexpected dissonance in the harmonization of “Moon Dreams” in particular, and although Miles doesn’t sound totally like himself as a player yet (still great, of course), “Deception” sounds distinctly like a Miles composition. “Move”, “Godchild”, and “Boplicity” are additional highlights for me. I think Konitz, Mulligan, and Roach shine in particular, and I loved discovering that both J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding were featured in separate sessions years before recording their duet albums. A light 4 stars for me. 4/5

Very, very close to 4.5 stars. Doesn't finish as strongly as it starts, but goddamn, it's still pretty awesome all the way through. 4/5

Wilco doesn't achieve perfection until their next album, in my opinion (and maintain that perfection for three subsequent albums as well). Being There still has a bit of filler and the feel of a band that hasn't exactly found their identity. That said, it's a very, very high 4 stars and still an excellent album. "Misunderstood", "Sunken Treasure", "I Got You (At the End of the Century)"...I mean, come on. 4/5

Absolutely stellar power pop. 4.5/5

Ray could sing the phonebook and it would sound amazing. But I didn't love the bombastic horns on side A or the schmaltzy arrangements of side B. The songs have very little room to breathe. They're good songs, and again, Ray does his job, but I won't return to this much. 3.5/5

Why the fuck is this on the list? Seriously. Does Dimery truly not understand the gravity of the phrase "must hear before you die"? Jesus Christ. 1.5/5

Not as good as the two that came before it, but still excellent. 4/5

Goddamn. I knew I would enjoy this; I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've ever heard from Dolly's classic period. But I didn't expect to love this album as much as I did. Just top-notch all the way around. Incredible songwriting, arrangements, performances, etc. It's so much more than just the fantastic title track. Probably the most unexpected 5 stars I've awarded so far, but very happy to. 5/5

Surprisingly strong, given how burnt out I am on the hits (and how indifferent I've always felt toward most of them). Listening to them as part of the package they were intended to be heard on really made it click for me. 4/5

Fun and melodic enough in places, but not something I really love and certainly not something I'll ever revisit. 2.5/5

Okay, maybe there's room for me to dig this record yet. This most recent listen fared much better than my first couple. I still struggle with the vocals, and it's definitely not my favorite overall style, but a lot of the melodies revealed themselves more to me this time around. I'll keep at it... 3/5

Thoughts after disc 1: Holy fuck, this is so goddamn good. 318 days in and I *finally* get my first Nick Cave album. I've never listened to a full one and I'm so happy this is my first. Absolutely fantastic in every way. I hope the second disc keeps it up... Thoughts after disc 2: Not as good as disc 1 on first listen, but still consistently excellent. Light 4.5 for now, but potential room to grow. 4.5/5

The renaissance record of all renaissance records. What Time Out of Mind did for Bob’s career can never be overstated. Fortunately, it still holds up 25 years later. As he did for Oh Mercy, Daniel Lanois provides a swampy magic with his production, utilizing the exact right amount of reverb and textural coating to sonically enhance the proceedings. By all accounts, he and Dylan had an even harder time balancing their differences while making this album, but the results speak for themselves. For the most part, Time Out of Mind lives in two equally excellent worlds. In the first, we find Bob embracing the blues to a degree he hadn’t since the mid-60’s, and he embodies the spirit of the genre as well, if not better, than he ever has. “Can’t Wait”, “‘Til I Fell in Love with You”, and “Million Miles” are effortlessly groovy and engrossing, never straying far enough to call their “bluesiness” into question but never settling for complete cliché either. The opening “Love Sick” is on another level, a masterclass in dynamic intensity, and “Cold Irons Bound” offers up one of the deadliest combinations of virtuosity and sheer coolness in Bob’s entire catalog. These tracks in particular benefit from Lanois’ production and the first-rate studio musicians that contributed to these sessions (Brian Blade, Jim Keltner, Bucky Baxter, Duke Robillard, and Jim Dickinson among them). In the second world, we find Bob writing some of the most crushing meditations on life and love that he’s ever committed to tape. Whereas he approaches the bluesier numbers with a formidable growl, he deftly handles the melodies on these tracks while continuing to establish the voice he began discovering on Oh Mercy. “Not Dark Yet” and “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven” are hair-raising; even if you didn’t know about the near-death experience Bob had suffered in the year leading up to this record or the myriad of other hardships he’d faced in his life, you’d have to be heartless to not recognize and appreciate the emotional depth of these songs. “Standing in the Doorway” is proof that the man can still write as perfect a heartbreaker as anyone; on the flip-side, he proves he can still casually write a timeless love song with “Make You Feel My Love”, already a modern-day standard. The brilliance is almost unfathomable. I’m also a fan of the four tracks that didn’t make the cut: “Mississippi”, “Red River Shore”, “Dreamin’ of You”, and “Marchin’ to the City”, all available on the tremendous Tell Tale Signs Bootleg Series. Unlike Shot of Love and Infidels, however, I don’t feel as if this album suffers for not featuring these songs. The latter two are atmospherically coherent with the tracks that made the album, but given that they lyrically evolved into “Standing in the Doorway” and “‘Til I Fell in Love with You”, I’m perfectly fine valuing them as strong outtakes. The former two are both beautifully evocative, and I love them individually out of context, but I simply have a hard time imagining how they would have fit on the record. They certainly wouldn’t have made it a worse project, but overall, I’m very satisfied with the final track list. Ultimately, I think Time Out of Mind deserves all of the praise and accolades it’s received in the last two-and-a-half decades, and will rightfully be heralded as a crowning moment in Bob’s discography for the rest of time. Least favorite track: “Highlands”. It’s definitely cool; I tend to zero in on a different series of verses every time I listen to it, though I appreciate the whole journey. I also never skip it when I listen to the album as a whole, despite its length and being the final song. But it doesn’t interest me as much as many of his other epics, and I find a bit more in every other song to enjoy. Favorite track: “Cold Irons Bound”. Lyrically, my answer might be “Standing in the Doorway” or “Not Dark Yet”. This one’s no lyrical slouch, though, and as a full listening experience, it’s a top 10 Dylan track for me. A tidal wave of guitars and organs crash around David Kemper’s irresistible drum beat and an all-time bass performance from Tony Garnier; only “Most of the Time” rivals this track for coolest bass line in Dylan’s catalog. Just an absolutely phenomenal recording, one that will forever be a favorite of mine. 5/5

It's interesting to me that this is apparently generally considered their best; I enjoyed Stand! a decent bit more. I still dug this, however, and perhaps it will reveal itself to me more on subsequent listens. 3.5/5 EDIT: On second listen, yeah, I “get” it much more. Still inferior to Stand!, but pretty damn great. 4.5/5

Second half slightly stronger than the first, but solid all the way around. You can tell how passionate and genuine they are. 4/5

A bit by-the-numbers for this genre and era. Good, but not as good as they'd go on to make. 3.5/5

I like it and respect its importance, but once again, I find myself wishing I liked it more than I did. 3.5/5

I’m not ALL the way there with it yet…but I think it could happen one day. 4.5/5

Don't always love her voice, and some of the non-singles don't stack up as well against the big hits, but there's some undeniably excellent stuff here. 3.5/5

There's some Steely Dan I dig, but none of it sounds like this. How something can be so competently and articulately arranged and still so insipid is beyond me. I just don't get this type of music, and Fagen is one of the least convincing vocalists I've ever heard. 2/5

There are some interesting tracks/elements here, and I can genuinely see where the appeal and influence lies. That said, most of it sounds like a band that took all the wrong lessons from "Revolution 9". I'll still take it over Linkin Park, though. 1/5

Nothing mind-blowing, but some killer lyrics/production and pretty consistently solid. 3.5/5

Not even offensively experimental, just boring. 1.5/5

Sorry, y'all. I respect the hell out of him, but it just ain't my bag. 2/5

To this day, Pet Sounds is still, for me, the quintessential album where I’m waiting to hear what everyone else is hearing. When I listen to the classic albums by The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, and so many others, I *hear* these albums that are so highly praised. Even albums that I don’t particularly enjoy from a stylistic standpoint like Thriller, I totally get them. It’s not that I don’t hear some majorly impressive things on Pet Sounds; I decidedly like about half the songs on it. But even after reading all the dissertations on it, I’m just not there with it. I’m not enamored with so many of the precious baroque influences that are scattered across it; I’m not saying that the style itself is bad or even that they do it badly, it has just never been something that resonates with me. Fuck, as much as I love “Penny Lane”, it’s never been anywhere near a top 50 Beatles song for me, whereas everyone else seems to have it as a top 10 song, and I think part of it is that aspect. And I apologize if anyone loves any of these songs, but I just get absolutely nothing out of “You Still Believe in Me”, “That’s Not Me”, “Don’t Talk”, or honestly, as much as I know I’m *supposed* to love it, “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”. I’ve heard all of these songs god knows how many times and I’ve paid close attention to the melodies and arrangements and lyrics and at best, my response is, “Okay, sure.” These songs, and this band as a whole, do not move me in the same way that so many of their contemporaries do, no matter how many times I’m subjected to the argument that this is Brian’s grand masterstroke of describing his loneliness and isolation through the voice of his inner child. I know I’m the “wrong” one, but I’m also not trying to pull any edgy contrarianism bullshit. I not only respect this album’s influence, I respect everyone who holds it in such high regard. It’s just not “my” album, if that makes sense. 3.5/5

Once again, true perfection from the boys. Only my fourth favorite album of theirs, and still likely a top 25-30 all-time album for me. 5+/5

As always with The Smiths, Johnny Marr is the star of the show for me on this record. Some really amazing, versatile guitar work here. "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", "Death of a Disco Dancer", and "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" are probably the main highlights. I honestly liked this a little less than last time, though. I want to like them more; I remember liking The Queen Is Dead fine enough when I was growing up, I was pleasantly surprised by Vauxhall and I when I got it early on in my personal project, and I thoroughly enjoyed the last two Ducks Ltd. records, which I realize are essentially musical love letters to The Smiths. But in recent years, whenever I've sat down with them, they've consistently fallen into that cursed category of "this is totally fine, I just don't care much about it." I'll have more chances to fall in love with them throughout this project, though, so fingers crossed. 3.5/5

I was expecting/hoping to dig this a bit more on relisten, but I’m still not fully into this one. I dig the overall sound and ~vibe~ (I hate using that word), but the melodies/songs themselves leave a bit to be desired. I definitely don’t think this is on the same level as a lot of their 1993 “alternative rock” contemporaries, but I’ll remain optimistic that it will grow on me yet. 3.5/5

Goes on a bit long and is a bit too "straight" for my tastes, but there are some truly transcendent moments. I could stand to come back to this. 3.5/5

My second favorite Joni. Absolutely wonderful. 4.5/5

Not bad, but given how much I generally like Tribe, I found the overall sound of this disappointing. 3/5

It's neck-and-neck with Sticky Fingers, but I *think* this is my favorite Stones record, and their first perfect album. They finally embody the blues music they grew up worshipping and turn it into something genuine and original. Additionally, they're not chasing the trends of their counterparts AS much. Absolutely love it. 5/5

I'm somewhat of a Stevie agnostic; I recognize his immense talent and influence, and I do love some of his music, but he'll likely never be an all-time favorite. This record in particular is just a bit too smooth for my tastes. 3/5

4 stars, and a relatively high one at that. There’s a deep sense of yearning that I feel throughout this record, even in its more upbeat moments. I think Mavers has a cool, unique voice, and it feels earnest without being overblown in any way. 4/5

Dimery should be fucking arrested for including this. 1/5

Wow, I liked this much better than anticipated! Straight-up funk only usually goes so far with me, and I get nervous whenever I see a "funk" album that's been released later and later into the 70's (don't try to dress up the word "disco," we all know what it is). But this shit is *real* funk, only ever as repetitive as it needs to be with just the right amount of variation. And, of course, top notch playing. Great shit. 4/5

First listen: Interested to see how I feel about this on repeated listenings. The first couple songs didn't grab me much, and there are a few too many songs that drifted off into anonymous indie nothingness, but the highlights are *damn* good. Second listen: As suspected, this album grew on me. I initially scored it a high 3.5, raising it to a decently solid 4, and it could continue to rise in my estimations. I dig the sound overall, and I think Cox has the perfect voice for this genre. "Revival" and "He Would Have Laughed" are my personal standouts at the moment, but I genuinely like every track to one degree or another. 4/5

Pretty good overall, though I think most everything on here would sound a thousand times better if My Morning Jacket was doing it. 3.5/5

I can't yet get to the full 4 stars on it because I found elements of the second and third songs to be a bit middling. However, it's undeniably VERY strong, and I think I can definitely raise this rating one day. 3.5/5

I had this album fairly high in my Bowie ranking when I initially did the dive of his discography. After relistening a few times since then, I've softened on it a bit. Blue-eyed soul Bowie is not my favorite Bowie, and although I like "Win", "Fascination", and "Somebody Up There Likes Me", I find I need to be in the right mood for them. Additionally, his atrociously oversung "Across the Universe" cover is good for at least a half-star reduction. However, the two best-known tracks deserve all the praise they receive. The title track is an absolutely perfect album opener, and "Fame" continues to rise up my list of favorite all-time songs. Lennon's backing vocals are a trip, Alomar and Slick are totally locked in with each other, and Dennis Davis lays down - for my money - the deepest, dirtiest pocket ever recorded. All in all, it's somewhat of a mixed bag, but I also don't dislike anything other than the Beatles cover, so I'll settle on a high 3.5. 3.5/5

Weird record. Some really cool stuff, some really bad stuff. Will need to come back to it at some point. 3/5

I'm a big jazz boy, but bossa nova isn't fully my bag. It's good, and I suppose I understand why everyone loves it, but give me literally everything by 50's/60's Miles, Coltrane, Mingus, Hank Mobley, Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Dexter Gordon, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Red Garland, etc. before this. 3.5/5

Like Boston's self-titled debut, pretty tough to deny. 4/5

Probably my least favorite of the three Cave albums I've heard so far, but still pretty damn good. "Into My Arms" is undeniable. A light 4 stars for now. 4/5

The first two songs have held up surprisingly well. After that....eh. 2/5

Extremely cool. This one may have room to grow. 4/5

Not sure what I’m missing with this one. It feels and sounds extremely insignificant. I don’t dislike much, if anything, about it, but there’s not a single element of this band or record that I haven’t heard done better (and more memorably) a thousand times before. 3/5

Very frustrating. Some really good/cool stuff, but way too overlong and anonymous at parts. 2.5/5

I can tell this one will grow on me with repeated listenings. Already great. 4/5

Undoubtedly their best. Fuck the haters. 5/5

About as good as you can expect from an early rock and roll album. The singles are the obvious highlights, but none of the album cuts are bad by any means. 4/5

Huge, huge surprise here. I am not generally a synthpop fan whatsoever, and I've historically not thought much of this "Tainted Love" cover, but something kind of comes together for me on this one. Really interesting arrangements and songs, and it's not *too* over the top or synthy. Much more intriguing than a lot of other stuff from this time period. Interested to see if this grows on me with repeated listenings! 3.5/5

I refuse to believe that Sparks existed until that documentary came out, and then everyone *pretended* like they’ve just known about them for 40 years. I worked in a record store back home for 7 years with multiple other music snobs. Been surrounded by white hipster douchebag bandmates for 15 years. Nary a *word* of this band’s existence. Then, this documentary comes out, and all of sudden, every fucking jackass I know with a mustache is all, “Oh yeah, Sparks! OBVIOUSLY!” And before I know it, these paid fucking actors have created this elaborate hoax of a *50-year career* that everyone can point to and I DON’T BUY IT. 2.5/5

Probably a top 25 all-time album for me, and likely only my third favorite Wilco record. Just outstanding in every sense of the word. 5+/5

Liked this a lot more than I anticipated. A few really prescient lyrics and moments, and a lot of solid music. Not my favorite style of music, especially when it dives further into R&B, but I could stand to go back to this. 3.5/5

I once again repeat my friend Joe's mantra: "Good, but I don't care." 3.5/5

Wish I'd gotten hip to them a while ago. I think this may continue to grow on me. 4/5

I’m still not sick of the big 4 singles from this record, and in fact, the first 7 songs are pretty fantastic in my book. It unfortunately loses a bit of steam after that, though none of it is bad. Rounding up for the website, but could be a true 4 one day. 3.5/5

What the actual hell am I supposed to say about Blonde on Blonde, my fourth favorite Bob Dylan album? I guess, to some degree, I can acknowledge that this record is understandably a lot of people’s favorite or second favorite Dylan record. Objectively, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a sonic and lyrical masterpiece, a sprawling-yet-perfectly-sequenced journey through the mind of the most brilliant songwriter of all-time, the climax of a three-album run that helped to redefine what popular music could be. Its historical significance, both in the context of Dylan’s catalog and otherwise, is well-documented and well-deserved, and not only do all 14 tracks hold up individually, the album as a whole still stands as a magnificent artistic statement. It’s just that subjectively… …well, shit, there’s nothing wrong with it subjectively for me, either. I love every single one of these songs; there’s a solid chance that each track would rank among my top 150 Dylan songs, and my “least favorite” track on this album would probably be ranked higher than my least favorite of any other album. I love the sound, the flow, the vibe of this record…it’s all amazing. Really, the only reason Blonde on Blonde sits behind three other records in my rankings is because, regardless how much I admire it as a whole and cherish every song, it has to compete with three other titanic releases that feature so many of my favorite tracks. Not that I don’t have a bevy of favorites on this record; it may include my favorite song, by anyone, of all-time. Many other tracks land amongst my top 50 Dylan songs, including the extremely catchy and highly musical “Absolutely Sweet Marie”. I’ve also always been in love with “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again”, featuring remarkable performances from the ever-reliable Charlie McCoy (bass) and Kenny Buttrey (drums) as well as so many classic lyrics (the Texas medicine/railroad gin verse in particular has always been a favorite). “4th Time Around”, the potential Lennon sendup, is a great, lilting waltz and intriguing story, and “Just Like a Woman” still stands as one of the finest melodies in Dylan’s discography. As for the lyrics, I can understand the allegations of misogyny, but I’ve always heard them coming from a defensive, disheartened character using insults to mask his pain. With its top-notch vocal delivery and flawless soundscape, it’s easily a top 20 Dylan tune for me. The juxtaposition between the wonderfully uncomplicated chorus of “I Want You” and the lonesome organ grinders, drunken politicians, and dancing children in Chinese suits that appear in the verses has always fascinated me; when I think of all the times I’ve rambled on and on trying to get my point across to the people I love, only to arrive at the simple point I’ve wanted to say the whole time, this song especially feels resonant. Equally fantastic are “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)” and “Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine”, two musically rich tracks that take very different approaches to the ending of a relationship. The most compelling love song of all, though, is the lyrical tour-de-force of “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands”. Bob’s ode to Sara is simply stunning, complete with a passionate vocal, mystical organ, and one of the finest harmonica performances on the record. It’s never felt a second too long to me. Musically, Bob gets as close to the classic Chess sound as he ever did in the 60’s on “Pledging My Time”, a slow, lumbering blues that features some of Robbie Robertson’s best recorded guitar work. The trio of additional blues songs that follow - the swanky “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”, beautifully subdued “Temporary Like Achilles”, and raving “Obviously 5 Believers” - are all excellent as well. Truly, every single one of these songs is excellent. I’ve name-checked most of them and have said little to do any of them justice; I’m not nearly a good enough writer to illustrate the lyrical and musical brilliance of these songs. In some ways, I hold this album in similar regards to Sgt. Pepper and Exile on Main St.: three incredible, important records that can all be argued as their respective acts’ crowning achievements, yet never my personal favorite. That’s of course not to say that any of these albums are overrated. Especially not this completely stacked, genius album. It’s not overrated at all. It’s five out of five stars. It’s a top 25 album of all-time for me, my fourth favorite record by my favorite singular artist. It’s Blonde on fucking Blonde. Least favorite track: “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”. I’ll never skip it or not sing along. I know some object to it being the opening track, but it’s always set the pace perfectly for me. I love it. And it’s my “least” favorite on the album. Favorite track: “Visions of Johanna”. I’ve already struggled to write a capable album summary, and now I’ve set myself up to say something about a song that always leaves me speechless. The blend of Bob’s acoustic guitar and harmonica, Joe South’s dancing bass line, Kenny Buttrey’s steady groove, and Al Kooper’s otherworldly organ is the thin, wild Mercury sound. “Ain’t it just like the night to play tricks when you’re trying to be so quiet?” is one of the most effective opening lyrics of all-time, and it only gets better from there. “The ghost of ‘lectricity howls in the bones of her face” and “The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain” never fail to blow my mind. My inability to accurately describe my love for this song mirrors Bob’s inability to reach Johanna. It’s my favorite Dylan song, and quite possibly my favorite song of all-time. 5/5

Oh good, another sophistipop album. 2.5/5

I have no use for this early glam metal bullshit. I respect the influence, truly - I only say "bullshit" to describe how I feel listening to it. 2/5

Not huge into free jazz, and I don’t *love* this, but it’s pretty damn interesting. Could grow on me one day. 2.5/5

One one hand, I don't think it's his best as so many often claim it is - give me Harvest or Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere any day. On the other hand, it IS a 5-star album, so... 5/5

Solid and dependable. They’ll never be an all time favorite, but I can’t deny how good it is. 4/5

“Solsbury Hill” rules, and there are some other moments I dig, but overall, there’s still a lot of that Genesis-era influence that I’m not into. 3/5

For my money, the band on this record has a lot more fire than most “white guy blues” records. They seem to be inhibiting the spirit of the records that influenced them, not just trying to copy the sounds necessarily. Clapton is obviously incredible on it, but Mayall is a terrific vocalist and damn good harp player, too. I think this record and East-West by The Butterfield Blues Band are the best of their ilk, personally. 4.5/5

Up until 2012, Jack covered so many bases in The White Stripes, Raconteurs, and Dead Weather, and I hear a bit of all of them on Blunderbuss. As a result, this album is the sound of him trying to figure out the identity of his solo career in real time. When it hits, it hits. “On and On and On” is an unbelievably atmospheric, Beatlesque number, and still one of my favorites in his solo catalog; “Love Interruption” is a cool, smoky duet with Ruby Amanfu; “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy” sounds like a nice country tune on the surface, but the lyrics reflecting on the Stripes’ breakup give it a venomous “How Do You Sleep?” quality; “Missing Pieces” is a solid, dynamic opener rife with excellent electric piano and guitar performances. Honestly, I’m not sure I dislike any of these songs - as a result, it’s one of the higher 3.5-star albums in my book - but overall, his search for how to move forward musically results in a diversity that is less of a White Album/Exile on Main St. (we’re so good and confident at everything we do that we’ll go in any direction we please and it will succeed) and more of a Greetings from Asbury Park (I don’t quite know what to do with all of these talents yet). I’ll get more into my thoughts on the arc of his solo career when the thread for his elimination opens up, but ultimately, I think this was a necessary album for him to make, if not a necessary album to be included in this book. 3.5/5

Close enough to perfect to get the 5 star bump. 4.5/5

I feel like I shouldn't dig this as much as I do. Excited to keep returning to and gaining an appreciation for this. 4/5

The highlights are incredible, including “Have Love Will Travel” and “The Witch”, but a lot of the covers/album tracks drag it down a bit. Still a fun listen. 3.5/5

I still think Fagen sucks, and I don't get the "Peg" or "Deacon Blues" love, but despite all of that, there's some obviously good stuff here. I would die to hear the title track without any vocals. 3.5/5

Inoffensive but unsubstantial 60’s pop. 3/5

I struggled a bit with Dub Housing when I listened to it a while ago, but this one was a lot more immediately accessible. I feel like I could like this even more on repeat listenings, and I’m interested to see how the follow-up hits me when we revisit it. “Non-Alignment Pact” is such a banger. 3.5/5

I've long been a "hater" of James Taylor. Most of his work from the mid-70's onward is borderline unlistenable to me. His 1985 album in particular, That's Why I'm Here, is one of the worst albums I've ever had the misfortune of being subjected to against my will. The guy is just so fucking *vanilla*. And that's not untrue on this album, either. I mean, does anyone believe him when he says he's a "churning urn of burning funk"? However, the guy is clearly capable of writing some damn good songs, and in this particular stripped-down folky environment, he unfortunately concocts a highly listenable and enjoyable kryptonite to my Haterade. Touché, Mr. Taylor, and a tip of the cap to you. 4/5

I have a ceiling for hip-hop; it is very much a “songs” genre for me, rather than an album genre. I find that full albums by the same artist tend to wear on me at a certain point, even the absolute best ones. Although this one is no exception, I don’t think there’s a hip-hop album I respect more than this one. Kendrick is the absolute fucking best; no one writes or performs like this guy. Absolutely no one is on his level, present day at least. A 4-star album on my enjoyment scale, but a 5-star piece of art. 4/5

Not my favorite hardcore punk band/project, but still undeniably great. 3.5/5

Much better than I anticipated! Love the lo-fi interpretation of synthpop here. 4/5